Travel hotspots

The oldest house in Hanoi’s ancient village

Located in Son Tay, Duong Lam ancient village is worth seeing near the capital of Hanoi. Duong Lam is home to many houses dating back hundreds of years. The most popular one is the home of Nguyen Van Hung and La Thi Thao.
La Thi Thao said the house was built in 1649 according to the document still kept by her family. Hung and Thao’s family is the 12th generation to live in the 100m2 house.

The 400-year-old house is built with traditional materials in Duong Lam which are laterite and ironwood to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter.



Most old houses in Duong Lam are built with laterite bricks.


The 400-year-old house in Duong Lam. 


The ancient house attracts domestic and international tourists. 


On the way to the house.


The house is the living place for the 12th generation of the family. 


It is roofed in the shape of kites.


The date was scripted on the house.


It has 30 wooden props on a greenstone base.


Decorative patterns engraved on wood. 


The middle part of the house is for ancestor worship.


Wood is used as a building material. 


A part of the house renovated in 2008. 


Foreign tourists visit the most famous house in Duong Lam. 


Thousands of visitors come to Duong Lam every day. 

The house has a kite-shaped tile roof and is divided into five parts. There are 30 wooden props arranged in five rows with a green stone base to ensure a firm structure for the house. Many wooden parts are engraved with beautiful decorative patterns.

The middle part of the house, which occupies the largest area, is used for ancestor worship with horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences and ancient paintings. This area also has a couch to receive guests. The two parts on the two sides of the house are for living.

The old house was last renovated in 2008 with professional conservation methods that kept the house intact.

Duong Lam has 956 old houses, mostly in Dong Sang, Mong Phu and Cam Thinh hamlets. The traditional houses, many of which date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, are built with laterite and ironwood and have exquisite engraved patterns.
 
By: Viet Cuong – Khanh Long
 

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